


Swap our Places

by rogersmorse



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy, Torture, Waterboarding, possible panick attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-07 21:56:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4279368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rogersmorse/pseuds/rogersmorse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She told Lance this would be her last mission for a while. </p><p>She just didn't know how right she was at the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i'm holding a heart

**Author's Note:**

> Emily tweeted [this](https://twitter.com/LanceMorses/status/614106802616184832) and my brain went wild. a lot of this fic was inspired by Graceland (yet another great show you should watch if you're not already). 
> 
> This takes place in the STRIKE Headcanon, which was started by [Emily](https://twitter.com/LanceMorses), [Caitlin](https://twitter.com/mockingjaylance), [Julia](https://twitter.com/elvesofmirkwood), and [me](https://twitter.com/bobbiimorses). 
> 
> Essentially, Lance and Bobbi get back together, and Lance is asked to start up STRIKE over in Europe. He eventually askes Bobbi to come be co-director, they get remarried, they have six kids. Jemma and Fitz are also asked to come work for STRIKE, and they have two kids of their own. Also, Fitzsimmons 2.0, also known as Oswells.
> 
> If you have any questions, please feel free to come talk to us about it! We love freaking out over our baby and roping new people into it.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, this piece is completely finished. I'm just splitting it up into sections because I'm satan.
> 
> title of the fic taken from Running Up That Hill by Placebo. title of the chapter comes from Holding a Heart by A Girl Named Toby.

She's only known for a few weeks, only just told Lance a few days ago. She's just barely starting to show, but her bulletproof vest is more snug than it used to be. She told Lance this would be her last mission for a while. 

She just didn't know how right she was at the time.

-  
   
Bobbi wriggles frantically, tugging at the bonds on her wrists, as a plastic bag is shoved over her head again. She can just barely hear them laughing over the blood rushing in her ears. The bag comes off, just as spots dance in front of her eyes, and she sags forward, gasping for breath.  
   
“You going to talk now, sweetheart?” the man, Nikolai Alexanderov, says in his thick accent and she scowls. That pet name was only reserved for Lance, and she was going to cut off this man’s dick and feed it to him. Or at least watch while Lance did it.

They’ve been tracking this bastard, the head of the second most infamous sex trafficking ring in Eastern Europe, for three months now, waiting for him to screw up. And when he did and she went in, things went to shit. Now she’s here, wherever here is, sitting strapped to a metal chair as he tries to figure out how she knows so much.  
   
“Go to hell,” she spits, bracing herself as Alexanderov growls. He nods to the person that’s been standing behind her chair, and a pair of heavily tattooed hands grabs the tops of her arms and holds her steady.

“You’re not the smartest bitch, are you?” She’s been preparing herself for the bag again; so when she’s backhanded across the face, the ring on his finger catching on her cheekbone, she’s taken by surprise. It feels like a brand on her cheek as her skin breaks, blood leaking out of the cut. 

“Don’t make me ask again,” he says with a tight-lipped grin as she gasps for breath, leaning over the arm of the chair. The person behind her immediately straightens her up and she tries to curl in on herself, subtly shielding her stomach.

Her insides twist up and a wave of nausea overcomes her. She swallows down the bile rising in her throat and glares up at him. “I don’t know a damn thing, alright?” she grits out, flexing her fingers. The grin that spreads over Alexanderov’s face makes her skin crawl.

“Put her in the cell. Let's see if that’ll make her talk.” Bobbi's ripped out of her seat and held by her wrists as she’s dragged off to god knows where, her stomach twisting and turning all the while.

Her vision swims and she keeps stumbling over her feet; she has no idea where she is anymore, and she just wants to curl up with Lance and never let go.

-

“Has anyone heard from Bobbi?” Lance shouts as he throws open the doors to the ops center, storming inside. Everyone in the room goes dead silent. He clenches his jaw as he puts his hands on his hips, basking in the few moments of silence.

“Apparently, no one heard me.” He sees a cluster of interns in the corner of the room cower and he’d feel more proud of himself if Bobbi were around. “When was the last time someone heard from Director Morse?” he yells, his words echoing off the walls. No one moves a muscle and his panic takes over.

“Someone find out when and where her last check in was before I start pulling out Academy files and reading off every single embarrassing citation that you’ve ever received.” The room is suddenly filled with noise and chaos as people rush to find out what happened to Bobbi.

He nods, pleased that people are finally getting off their asses, and his words hit him and he realizes that Bobbi has threatened interns like that before. His chest aches as he thinks of her, wondering what the hell happened.

 

_“I promise,” she says, settling herself in his lap as she loops her arms around his neck. “This’ll be my last mission for a year.” He grins and presses his lips to hers in a chaste kiss._

_“Damn well better be,” he murmurs, his hand sliding between their bodies to brush over the slight swell of her stomach. “And you’re going to take a month off when you get back.” She looks at the ceiling, one side of her mouth turned up as she ponders his request._

_“Well,” she says, shifting her hips slightly, grinning as he groans and rests his head on her shoulder. “I guess I can take some time off,” she responds, lips pressed against his temple. “Only if you promise to take some time off too.”_

_“Deal.”_

 

He feels tears prick his eyes and he shakes his head, looking down at the ground. “Dammit, Bob,” he whispers to himself, unconsciously twisting his wedding ring around his finger. “Where are you?”


	2. see how deep the bullet lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to look up, but then take a turn for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the added tags.
> 
> Title of this chapter taken from Running Up That Hill by Placebo.

Bobbi blinks awake to light streaming in through the small window on the door. She sits up before quickly laying back down as her head spins and her stomach turns upside down. She covers her stomach with her hand, palm curving over the tiny bump.

“I’m sorry, baby bird,” she breathes, voice cracking and breaking on Lance’s nickname for the baby. She hadn’t used it yet because that made it all the more real and, while she wanted this more than anything in the world, she was scared to wake up and find it had just been a dream.

Ever since they’d agreed to give it a second chance, things had been damn near perfect. With the dishonesty and lies behind them, they were able to have a happy life, and heading up STRIKE had just been the cherry on top. They were married (happily, for once) and they had been given the chance to start a family.

And all of that was going to be taken away with one stupid mistake.

She had made the call to go in, even though it was risky. She had told the extraction team that she would take the fall, if it came down to it. She had told them to do whatever was necessary to get themselves home.

 _You got yourself into this mess_ , she thinks, rolling onto her side and pushing herself up, biting the inside of her cheek as her stomach rolls. _Time to get yourself out._

-

“Sir? We-.” Lance looks up, only to find a pair of concerned eyes staring back at him. The intern swallows nervously before looking down at his shoes to avoid Lance’s gaze. 

“Eyes up here, c’mon,” Lance says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Out with i-.”

“We think we’ve found something that can help,” he blurts out and Lance doesn’t even have the time to feel bad about making the kid nervous. His panic dies down slightly and he can breathe a bit easier as he strides over to the computer panel.

“Alright,” he says, looking over the data in front of him, trying valiantly to make sense of it. That was always Bobbi’s area of expertise and his chest squeezes painfully. “Tell me everything you know.”

-

Bobbi hadn't meant to fall asleep. Her plan was to take down the next person who came through the door. She's woken up when someone throws a cup of freezing cold liquid (water, she realizes with a sigh of relief) at her face. She splutters, gasping for breath, as she tries to take in her surroundings. She's strapped in the damn chair again, but this time, there's a rope around her shoulders, keeping her stiff as a board against the back.

"Let's see if you feel like telling us what you know today, eh?" She scowls, shifting her shoulders back and forth to see if the ropes have any give. Alexanderov sneers at her before tipping his head slightly. 

A cloth bag is pulled over her head as the room goes dead silent. She hears water splash onto the floor and she knows the nausea she feels isn’t morning sickness. Her training prepared her for torture, but she wasn’t sure if she could handle both mental games and physical torture in her current state.

Footsteps echo like gunshots off the concrete wall and she closes her eyes. “How did you find us?” Alexanderov whispers next to her ear and she bites down on her tongue. She hears his teeth grind together after a few moments of silence, and then she’s drowning.

Somewhere in the cycle of trying to breathe and trying to catch her breath, she loses track of time. He keeps shouting questions at her face, accent growing thicker and thicker as he gets angrier. She finally cracks, sobbing and screaming, hoping that something will trigger his sense of morality.

Alexanderov finally stops just as she starts to see spots in front of her eyes. Her wrists are raw and bleeding from where she’s struggled against the rope. He orders one of his men to take her back to her cell. He mutters something in Russian and she manages to catch “rough up” and it feels like the ground has dropped out from under her feet.

Bobbi protests loudly as Alexanderov’s right hand man drags her back to her cell. He slaps her across the face and she stumbles into the room, tripping over her feet and falling on the concrete. _I'm sorry_ , she thinks, not sure if it’s toward herself, Lance, or the baby. She curls up into a ball, hugging her knees close to her chest, and braces herself for the worst to come as the man walks toward her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than the first, I know, but there's a lot that happens. 
> 
> The next update will be on sunday (unless you'd prefer sooner, in which case, tell me in the comments ;) )


	3. all those shadows almost killed your light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Bobbi look back on their lives together and things continue to look bleak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where the OC of the STRIKE hc comes in. You finally get to meet Annie, the lovely sassmaster who puts up with Lance and Bobbi's shit.
> 
> Title of this chapter taken from Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift & the Civil Wars.

Her extraction team isn't answering. The last check in hasn't given them much to work off, but the entire ops staff had promised to keep working until they get a definite location.  
   
Lance is Absolutely Not panicking.  
   
Except maybe he is.  
   
He's pacing the length of his and Bobbi's shared office, passing his wedding ring between hands. The panic's been building up from the bottom of his spine since she missed her last two check ins, eight and four hours ago.  
   
He knows she's okay, she has to be okay. He nearly lost her once, he can't bear to even think about the possibility of losing her again. Her and the baby. _Fuck_.  
   
His hands are just starting to shake and his throat's closing up when the door to the office opens quietly. Annie gives him a placid smile as she shuts the door before leaning up against it, crossing her arms as her face grows serious.  
   
"Excuse my language, but what the bloody hell is going on," she demands in a soft voice, and he's barely able to slip his ring back on his finger.  
   
"Don't know what you're talking about," he mutters around the lump in his throat, leaning against the desk behind him. As soon as he realizes that it's Bobbi's desk, not his, he leaps away from it like he's been burned and Annie sighs as she crosses the room.  
   
"You yelled at interns, you just practically jumped across the room, and I can see your hands shaking." He taps his foot on the carpet, looking down as he runs a hand through his hair nervously. She was the head doctor at STRIKE, he should've realized that she'd pay close attention to detail. "I know you're upset because your wife is missing, but there's gotta be something else.”  
   
" _Fuck_ , alright." He exhales in a rush, moving to sit on the couch, and she follows close behind. He's got the heels of his palms pressed against his eyes before his ass is even on the cushion. He knows she's staring at him with a concerned look, a look he really hates to be on the receiving end of. Hates it nearly as much as he hated being on the receiving end of one of Bobbi's glares. His chest clenches painfully and a sob escapes past his lips before he can stop it.  
   
"Lance," Annie murmurs, and he can hear the frown in her voice.  
   
"It'd probably be best if you know this anyway, seeing as you'll be treating her when she gets back." He pauses to take a shaky breath and his hands slap on his thighs as he lets them fall. "If she gets back," he says under his breath, voice catching in the back of his throat. "Fuck.”  
   
Annie doesn't say anything, doesn't push; she waits for him to feel ready to finally open up, and he appreciates that more than anything.  
   
"Bobbi's pregnant." His voice sounds foreign to his own ears as his heartbeat picks up speed.  
   
"Oh, Lance, that's gr-!" He can practically hear everything click into place in her mind and he smiles grimly.  
   
"Well fuck.”  
   
"My sentiments exactly," he replies dryly as the panic starts to build up again. He bounces his leg as he feels the tears well up and he desperately tries to hold them back, digging his nails into his thigh.  
   
Her hand covers his and he stills. "We'll get her back." He meets her gaze with a pained smile before looking back at the ground.  
   
"I don't know what I'll do if we don't," he breathes, sliding the pad of his thumb over his wedding ring. "I almost lost her once, years ago, when she took a damn bullet for me." Annie stays silent and simply rubs her thumb along the back of his hand.  
   
"I can't-." His throat closes up and he balls his hands into fists as he feels them starting to shake again. "I can't even think about losing her again," he chokes out, and a wayward tear makes its way down his cheek.  
   
Annie sighs heavily as she puts both hands on his cheeks. "Hey," she says, turning his face toward hers. Her face falls for a brief second and then she's wiping away the tear.  
   
"You're not going to lose her. We're going to bring her back, them back, safe and sound." Her voice is steady and strong, and he envies her confidence as he brings one of his hands up to wrap around her wrist.  
   
Lance smiles softly at her before she pats his cheek and stands, brushing off her skirt. "C'mon. I know some interns who you haven't scared yet." He chuckles as he follows suit, but he pauses to pull her in for a quick hug.  
   
"Thank you," he murmurs, and she relaxes against him, hugging him back briefly.  
   
"I'm going back to teasing you endlessly now," she says as she pulls away, walking towards the door.  
   
"Wouldn't have it any other way," he calls out and she looks over her shoulder as she leaves, a wide grin on her lips.  
   
_I’m gonna come get you, Bob_ , he thinks, taking a deep breath. _Promise._  
   
-  
   
She’s curled up on the ground, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes before she can even think about holding them back. Every inch of her aches. Somehow, she managed to shield her stomach from nearly every kick and punch. He landed a blow to the lower side of her ribs, and that single blow hurt worse than any of the others.  
   
Bobbi rests her hand just above her belly button and thinks of the life growing inside her; how happy and terrified she’d been when she found out. Starting a family hadn’t really been something they discussed since the second marriage. But he was so over the moon; he'd picked her up and spun her in a wide circle and kissed her with everything he had.  
   
The night before she left, they were sitting on the couch, just existing in the same space, and she finally told him how scared she was.  
   
 

 _“I’m terrified, Lance,” she chokes out, her thumb stilling on the back of his hand. He turns to look at her and she closes her eyes._  
   
_“I-.” She stops herself, swallowing around the lump in her throat. “We already lost one. I can’t bear the thought of losing another.” The hand on her hip tightens and she can feel him tense up completely. She doesn’t say anything, just leans her head on his shoulder and exhales softly._  
   
_“I’m scared too, love,” he breathes out after a beat. Bobbi tilts her head to look at him and he nods slightly. “I’ve failed at a lot in my life. I don’t want to fail this little baby bird.” He looks down at her, a sad smile playing on his lips._  
   
_“But I’ve got you, and that’s more than enough to get me through.”  
 _

   
_He would’ve been a great dad_ , she thinks as the idea of making it out alive starts to become more of a pipe dream than a possibility.  
   
She curses herself inwardly for fantasizing about life after this baby, because now the thoughts won’t leave her alone and the ache she’s left with is absolutely different than the physical one.  
   
Waking up in the middle of the night to the baby’s cries, only to find that Lance was already getting out of bed. Lance obsessing over cute little outfits. Watching Lance’s face light up at the first little giggle.  
   
None of that.  
   
She’d never really been able to envision herself fully, but Lance. That was a different story. He really would’ve been a great dad.  
   
Bobbi can’t catch her breath and it takes her a minute to realize that she’s been sobbing. Her chest is heaving and she can’t see through her tears, and she wishes desperately that she had control over her emotions again. Her will has been slowly breaking since the torture started, and it’s nearly completely gone.  
   
She doesn’t know how much more of this she can take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want the next chapter before next wednesday, comment/send me an ask/tweet me ;)


	4. you could be my ever after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance sees a light at the end of the tunnel; Bobbi doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter!! Thank you to everyone who made it this far. All the comments, kudos, tweets, and asks really encourage me to keep writing, so, again, thank you.

Lance is on his way to Fitz's lab when Annie calls him.  
   
"Hello?”  
   
"Urgent. Ops. Now." She hangs up before he can ask for any details, but he knows; she wouldn't be short if it were anything else. He sprints through the halls, dodging agents and scaring interns, nearly bowling one over.  
   
Annie's holding the door open when he gets there. She's on his heels as he walks to the center of the room, talking all the while.  
   
“We got a trace off that private phone you two have. Yes, I know about that phone, I was basically your secretary for the first six months I worked here. And I know it’s essentially a satellite phone, so we used the signal from her last check in, pinged a signal around and, well, we’ve got more than we had before,” Annie says, reaching over to tap on his tablet.  
   
“So what-.”  
   
“Did I say I was done? No, hush.” Lance grins as she bumps her shoulder into his before continuing. “Then, we took all the intel we have on the target, Alexanderov, and compared it to the location of her signal, and we found that the very first known site of where he housed his victims is about 30 miles away.”  
   
“Okay,” he says slowly, taking all of the new information in. “And that means…” Annie gives him a sad smile.  
   
“Most likely, Alexanderov has her.”  
   
“Bloody hell,” he breathes out, running a hand through his hair, and Annie takes the tablet back.  
   
“Director, there is a team on call, and the quinjet will be ready by the time you put on your gear.” He nods curtly and she tilts her chin as a response. “Bring her back,” she whispers after he’s already left the room.  
 

-

Alexanderov paces the room and Bobbi bites down on a sob. She aches all over and she wants this to be over; it's getting to the point where she's close to begging him to kill her already. She's fucking sick of the waiting and she knows the torture is starting to work.

She's close to breaking down and telling him; she doesn't know why she's grasping onto the shred of hope she has left. Half of her thinks she's going to find a way to escape; the other half is sure she's going to die here.

Her stomach twists as he slams his hands down on the table and she wishes her arms were free so she could cross them over her stomach.

Bobbi's been desperately trying to stay as stress-free as possible, for the baby, but she can feel it building. She doesn't know what Alexanderov could do to her, but he also looks desperate to get something out of her.

His face is less than a foot away from hers when he finally speaks. "Withholding this information only makes me want to kill you more," he says in a casual tone and Bobbi grits her teeth.

"Then do it already," she hisses, hands balling into fists. The ropes around her wrists bite into her skin and she exhales sharply. Alexanderov clenches his jaw before standing up straight and nodding to the man in the corner of the room.

"If that is truly what you wish," he replies and her heart leaps into her throat. She hadn't prepared for him to actually follow through; she thought he'd push more. 

Her only wish is that her chance to start a new life with Lance had lasted longer. She closes her eyes as she feels the bile threaten to rise, and something in her brain compels her to start a list of apologies.

To Lance, for everything she's put him through. 

To their baby, who'd never see the light of day. 

To Izzy, for failing Lance (for the millionth time). 

To Lance, again, for leaving him (for the millionth time).

A gun goes off and she's filled with dread as her body goes numb. In the time it takes for her ears to stop ringing, she realizes that it wasn't her who was shot.

Another gunshot rings out from behind her and she opens her eyes to see Alexanderov slumped on the table in front of her, a hole just above his eye. She looks over her shoulder to see the man in the corner of the room in a heap on the ground, a pool of blood steadily expanding.

She sighs in relief before looking at who saved her life.

"Bob," a familiar voice whispers and a sob escapes past her lips. She tries to say his name but she can barely breathe, let alone speak. She stutters the first letter of his name when suddenly his face is in front of hers and she sags against him.

Tears blur her vision as he cups her face in his hands and leans his forehead against hers. She whines as he pulls away, but she stops when she sees him grab a knife from his belt.

Lance cuts the ropes around her wrists and she flings herself at him as soon as they're off. Wordlessly, he gathers her in his lap as she cries into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. 

"You're safe," he murmurs, repeating it over and over like a prayer, and she hugs him tighter to the point where it hurts.

She doesn't know how long she cries or how long they sit there. All she knows is she could stay wrapped in his arms for the rest of her life, and it still wouldn't be enough. 

"Bobbi," he whispers and she moves her head back to look up at him. "We should get you back so Annie can look you over." Her chest tightens and she nods, wiping at her eyes. He doesn't let go of her as he stands, just holds her closer to his chest.

"Let's get you home."

-

Her stomach is in knots as Annie looks at the screen. Lance squeezes her hand and she looks up at him with a tense smile. It's deathly silent in the room and it's starting to wear on Bobbi's already frayed nerves. She's about to yell at Annie when the room is filled with a loud, thundering noise.

It takes her a second to realize what it is, but she immediately bursts into tears. Lance is suddenly kneeling next to her, looking at her with concern.

"Th-that's-," Bobbi manages to get out between gasps.

"The heartbeat," Annie finishes with a wide smile and Bobbi just nods. Lance stands up as Annie turns the screen so they can see. 

The little blob on the screen moves in time with the noise and Lance stares at it for a long moment, face completely blank.

"Lance?" Bobbi asks tearfully, squeezing his limp hand.

"That's. That's the baby?" His voice sounds hollow and Bobbi has no idea how to process it at all. Annie's lips turn downward and she presses a button on the side of the screen, pausing the image.

"It's not much to write home about, I know, but-."

"It's beautiful," he whispers reverently before bending to press a kiss into Bobbi's hair. She closes her eyes and leans into his body as Annie pulls the wand out.

"I'd say you're roughly eight or nine weeks along. From what I can tell, the baby looks healthy, even after all you've been through." Annie peels off her gloves and throws them into the bin as she stands. "I'll let you two have some time. I should go thank the hospital for letting us borrow the room anyway." As she passes Lance, he pulls her into a hug and she freezes before patting him on the back.

"Told you we'd get them home safe," she quips as she steps out of his embrace and walks toward the door. Lance watches her leave fondly before kneeling by Bobbi's bedside again.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight for a bloody long time," he sighs after a long moment of silence, grabbing her hand. A giggle bubbles out of her lips and she nods as she laces her fingers with his.

"There's no place I'd rather be," she replies, leaning over the bed to kiss him. His free hand comes up to rest on her belly and she pulls away to look down at it.

"That includes you, baby bird," he says pointedly and she laughs as she covers her hand with his. He continues talking to her stomach and her wide grin fades until her lips are turned up in a gentle curve. 

She watches his eyes sparkle as he bends over her to kiss the slight swell of her stomach, and she sighs happily. _He_ is _going to be a great dad._

**Author's Note:**

> COME SAY HI (or yell at me for being evil):
> 
> [TWITTER](https://twitter.com/bobbiimorses)
> 
> [TUMBLR](https://teacupandhellbeast.tumblr.com)


End file.
